


Twenty-Seven Days and Counting

by PriorityNaps



Series: Bad Habits [2]
Category: Gintama
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 19:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19068838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PriorityNaps/pseuds/PriorityNaps
Summary: There he stood, leaning against the railing with his arms crossed and a small smile on those perfect lips.





	Twenty-Seven Days and Counting

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely NOT written in the span of a single day, I hereby present to you the most disappointing part 2 you'll ever read.
> 
> Enjoy?

Gintoki cursed as the pen he was playing with flew from his grip and landed on the floor by his desk. He stood from his chair with an annoyed huff, grimacing at the tingling sensation in his ass from sitting for too long. Shinpachi always reminded him not to stay sitting for over fifteen minutes or there’d be negative consequences like those stupid pins and needles, but being the lazy man he was, Gintoki paid no heed. He made a show of stomping around his desk and retrieving the pen from the floor, stretching not-so-gracefully when he straightened his spine again.

Kagura had skipped out the flat with Sadaharu in tow, yelling something about meeting up with friends and promising to be back before nine. A small smile graced Gintoki’s face at the thought of Kagura making new friends. Being the Yato she was, she could never truly see herself fitting in with girls her age. Unlike them, she didn’t have a mother, had no idea where her dad was, and had a crazed psychopath for a brother. She was an alien compared to them, literally and figuratively, and Gintoki hated the way she’d gaze longingly at families that would pass by whenever they went outside. He’d do his best to make her happy by treating her like a real daughter, lifting her up onto his shoulders when they took walks and buying her small treats here and there if his wallet allowed it. As far as he knew, it seemed to be working like a charm.

Gintoki plopped himself back in his chair and rested his elbows on the desk and his head in his palm. He stared at the pen in his hand. It wasn’t just any pen, it was one of many that Hijikata had accidentally forgotten at his house when he’d come over with paperwork in tow and a lame excuse of the barracks being too noisy. They both knew the real reason he was there but spoke nothing of it.

When the chain smoker would visit, he’d always shoo Gintoki away from his desk and neatly arrange files and whatnot over the top of it. He’d sit for hours on end sometimes, only getting up to use the bathroom or to drink a glass of water. On days when he was especially stressed, the apartment would be engulfed in a haze of smoke and Gintoki would have to begrudgingly throw the windows open to let in fresh air.

Speaking of smoking, he hadn’t purchased a second box of cigarettes that week. It bewildered him sometimes how easily his boyfriend could blaze through so many packs a day like Gintoki could with sweets and the like. There were still four cigarettes left in the pack tucked away in his desk drawer, and he hadn’t touched them in the past two weeks. Usually, he’d smoke one per day, but his lungs were having a real workout this time so he had to put them off for the time being.

He opened the drawer now, the pen on his desk forgotten, and pulled out the lighter he’d placed in it. After giving Hijikata his present, Gintoki had managed to persuade the Mayora into giving his own mayonnaise bottle-shaped lighter for the perm head to keep. He was grateful that he didn’t have to explain himself; Hijikata was probably too happy with his new one to be upset over giving it away.

Gintoki slowly ran his thumb along the bottle’s curve and scoffed. Seriously though, how could someone so uptight and arrogant carry around something as ridiculous as this? He’d voice his complaint every time the chain smoker would use it to light his nth cigarette of the day and was almost always answered with a smack on the head and praise for “the holy condiment”. So when Hijikata’s birthday was around the corner, Gintoki spent the money he’d saved for paying bills at his favorite cafe to instead buy his boyfriend a brand-new lighter. He even went so far as to getting Hijikata’s full name engraved on it, along with a pretty little design to add a bit of flair. It paid off handsomely in the end, so Gintoki wasn’t all that upset over losing his precious yen.

A knock on the door caught his attention. He shoved the lighter back in the drawer and yelled for whoever it was to come in, the door was unlocked. A moment later Shinpachi walked into the living room with a few bags in tow. He stalked over to the kitchen, placed the bags on the countertop next to a few opened boxes of sukonbu that were strewn about, and returned to where Gintoki was seated. His hands were on his hips and his brows were quirked.

“Gin-san, why are you still sitting there? Before I left I told you to clean up the mess in the kitchen. It’s been over an hour!”

Gintoki kicked his feet up on the desk and pushed his chair back a bit to get comfortable. His forearms went behind his head and he laced his fingers together.

“See, Shinpachi, I was  _just_  about to. You can ask my ass, I was literally lifting it off the chair when I heard the knock. But then I saw it was you who came in, so I sat back down. And now that you’re here, you can take care of the cleaning.”

Shinpachi’s brow twitched.

“Gin-san, you need to stop being so lazy all the time. I know you weren’t actually getting up when I knocked. It’s not good for your health to be sitting around all day doing nothing with that kind of diet, you know.”

Nonetheless, the otaku trudged back to the kitchen. He tossed the empty wrappers in the trash. He put away all the groceries he’d brought with him in the fridge and cabinets. He scrubbed the dishes in the sink clean and stored them away too. After he was done, he wiped down the countertop, threw open the window behind the sink to let in fresh air, and returned to his employer.

“I bought groceries for you when I went to the store with Aneue just now and put them away, so you don’t have to worry about going shopping for the time being. Still though, you should spend some time out, Gin-san, the weather’s gotten much better today and it’s not cloudy anymore.”

Gintoki opened one eye to look at Shinpachi. The latter’s hands were back on his hips, though his face showed concern this time.

“Got it, Glasses-kun. You can go now, thanks for the groceries.”

It was silent for a while, and Gintoki wondered if Shinpachi had tiptoed away or if he was still standing there silently fuming over being called 'Glasses' until the other finally spoke up.

“I’ll be going now Gin-san. Please take care of yourself.”

Unspoken words that Shinpachi chose not to say lingered in the air but Gintoki didn’t pay them any attention. He simply remained silent and listened to the other put on his shoes by the entrance, then slide the door open and closed. And just like that, Shinpachi was gone and Gintoki was once again alone.

He eyed the pen on his desk and thoughts of Hijikata immediately flooded his mind. Nearly a month had passed since the other’s birthday and still no sign of him. Gintoki had loitered around the barracks more times than one but wasn’t able to catch sight of any sharp blue eyes. He’d taken long walks near Hijikata’s patrol routes that he’d memorized but didn’t see any V-shaped bangs. The Vice Commander had been gone for long periods of time before, but a month was pushing it. Gintoki didn’t want to admit that he was starting to worry, though he could tell by now that that was the case.

Gintoki removed his feet from the top of the desk and rested his forearms on it instead. He drew random patterns on the worn wood with his finger. Hijikata hadn’t given him a call in the past few weeks, and he’d normally do so when he was out of town for so long. The fact that no familiar faces were seen among the Shinsengumi members he’d spotted in the streets wasn’t helping, either.

Someone rang the doorbell, and Gintoki groaned out loud.

“Come in!”

Nothing happened, and a moment later the doorbell rang again. Gintoki held himself back from slamming his head on the desk and dragged his feet to the door. He opened it to find a young girl about Kagura’s height with her finger hovering near the doorbell.

“Ah, hello, Oji-san. Do you happen to know where Kagura is?”

Gintoki’s brow twitched.  _Oji-san?_  How dare she!

“She’s not home.”

The girl blinked.

“Ah. Sorry to disturb you then, Oji-san. Have a nice day!”

And with that, she turned and went back the way she came from. Gintoki watched her go, glaring daggers at her retreating back. Who did she think she was, calling him an old man like that? Did she not see his lustrous curlㅡ

 _Oh_.

He slammed the door shut and trudged back to his desk. He was about to sit down when he decided he was thirsty. So he made his way over to the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open. Shinpachi hadn’t lied; the shelves were neatly stocked with everything written down on the grocery list tacked onto the fridge door with a heart-shaped magnet that was undoubtedly put there by Kagura. There were even a few cartons of strawberry milk, so Gintoki plucked one from its spot on the shelf and shut the door. It was overwhelmingly satisfying for him to open it from the top and drain two-thirds of it right there in the kitchen.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, observing how his lips felt a bit rough against his skin. He hadn’t noticed when they’d gotten chapped, they usually weren’t. It must be dehydration.

Gintoki leaned against the counter near the window Shinpachi had opened earlier and took another long swig of strawberry milk. He could feel the cool drink travel down his throat and into his stomach. The weather truly had gotten a bit warmer compared to the last couple days like Shinpachi had said. He didn't feel unbearably hot standing by the window or anything, but it was warm enough to supposedly relieve everyone of the chills of early spring. It was almost strange though, since Kabukicho was practically baking under the scorching sun around this time of the year.

Gintoki tipped his head back all the way to catch the last few drops of milk in the carton. He used his sleeve to wipe his lips this time and carelessly tossed the carton in the general direction of the trash can in the corner. A dull thud told him he missed by a long shot, but he simply scratched at his shin with his foot and yawned. Maybe a nap was in due. It didn’t matter that he’d woken up less than four hours ago, sleep played a crucial role in maintaining beauty.

He ambled over to the living room again, this time flopping onto the couch. It wasn’t a very good idea to lie on his stomach when he’d just drained an entire carton of strawberry milk in less than six minutes, but Gintoki did so anyway. He let one arm dangle over the couch’s edge, fingers almost touching the floor.

He ignored the first ring of the doorbell. This was the third fucking time someone had disrupted his alone time and there was no way in hell he was getting up anytime soon. Not when he was this comfortable.

A few seconds passed and the bell rang again. The silverhead shifted until he was on his back and threw a forearm over his eyes. Can’t the rude asshole outside see he was trying to rest?

The person knocked the third time instead of ringing, loudly. Gintoki finally relented and rolled off the couch, his head barely missing the coffee table set in front. Blood-red eyes caught sight of something that suspiciously resembled a black pen under the table. He shoved his arm in the narrow space and retrieved it. He was about to set it on his desk on the far end of the room when there was another loud knock.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Jeez, so annoying.”

He kept the pen clutched in his hand, running lean fingers through his hair as he scurried toward the door. It better not be another one of Kagura’s friends or those cheap salesmen that frequented the Yorozuya flat.

He flung the door open.

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not interesㅡ”

Gintoki stopped short, the words abruptly dying in his throat.

There he stood, leaning against the railing with his arms crossed and a small smile adorning those perfect lips. His hair was a bit tousled, perhaps from ruffling it or a breeze messing it up. There were tiny dark circles around his eyes, but that blue was piercing as ever.

“Hey, perm head.”

Gintoki stood there, slack-jawed and frozen in place. The pen in his hand slipped from his fingers and landed on the floor with a clatter. He didn’t dare blink for fear of the man disappearing if he did so.

His breath hitched in his throat when the other tilted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

It was then that Gintoki realized he probably looked like he’d just seen a ghost. He closed his mouth and swallowed.

“H-Hiji…”

It was hilarious, honestly. He’d been anticipating this moment for weeks, counting off the days that went by, but was absolutely speechless when it finally arrived. His mind scrambled to find something to say,  _anything._

Hijikata pushed off from the railing and walked up to Gintoki, his steps delicate but purposeful. He gently placed a hand on the other’s cheek.

“Hey. I’m here, Gintoki.”

Gintoki slowly moved his hand that was gripping the door to tenderly wrap his fingers around Hijikata’s wrist. He pressed his thumb against the pulse point, finding solace in the strong heartbeat it indicated.

“Welcome back.”

Hijikata snorted, though it was lighthearted.

“Let’s go inside.”

 -x-X-x-X-x-

“So, why were you gone for so long?”

They were sat in Gintoki’s room, the silverhead with his back leaned against the wall and Hijikata nearby with his legs crossed. Although they were the only ones in the house, Gintoki chose to sit in his room since it allowed for more privacy.

“Kondo-san had an official meeting to attend somewhere north of here, about eighty miles away. He was still recovering from the injuries he’d gotten at the raid in April, so I went in his stead. I’d thought it would be just a couple days, but it stretched into weeks since we had to postpone certain things here and there.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

Hijikata leaned back so his palms were flat against the tatami.

“I wasn’t able to contact you because personal electronics and devices had been confiscated to ensure absolute confidentiality.”

Gintoki hummed and tilted his head back until it bumped gently against the wall behind him. All that worrying over nothing, it seemed.

"Why were you holding my pen when you opened the door?"

"Huh?"

"You were holding my pen when you opened the door."

"Oh, that. I just found it under the coffee table so I picked it up."

Hijikata hummed and scratched his nose.

“How’ve you been doing? I see you haven’t been taking care of yourself while I was gone.”

Gintoki looked at his boyfriend.

“And what makes you think that?”

“Your lips are chapped. If you aren’t drinking enough water, how are you caring for yourself at all?”

So he noticed.

“Hey, it’s not like yours aren’t.”

Hijikata raised an eyebrow.

“And what makes _you_ think that?”

Gintoki slowly but surely crawled over to the dark-haired man and gently bumped their foreheads together. Crimson met electric blue as they locked eyes.

“This.”

And Gintoki, after all those days turned to weeks of waiting, finally pressed his lips to Hijikata’s and embraced him tenderly.

_My beautiful demon._


End file.
